Brainstorm Storm Coloring Page

About this page

Here the book takes the word brainstorm and makes it delightfully literal, with the whole Squad huddled under umbrellas while ideas rain down. The lesson hiding in the fun is that brainstorming means letting lots of ideas fall at once without stopping to judge them. Some lightbulbs will be great, some will fizzle, and that is exactly how it should be at this stage of Chapter 3. Sorting comes later. For now, quantity beats quality, and kids get to see that even a storm of thoughts can feel joyful rather than overwhelming.

The research skill

Brainstorming well means separating two jobs: coming up with ideas and judging them. In the drawing, a bunny, a bear, a cat, and a robot hold up umbrellas while tiny lightbulbs and lightning bolts pour down, and nobody is sorting the bulbs yet. Researchers protect this stage on purpose, because criticizing too early can shut down the unusual idea that turns out to be best. In Chapter 3, a good hypothesis gets picked from a big pile. Group projects at school follow the same rule: list first, choose later.

Try it at home

Try a two-minute idea storm. Pick a simple question, such as "How could we keep a toy dry in the rain?" Set a kitchen timer and let your child call out every idea while you write each one on its own slip, with no "that won't work" allowed. When the timer rings, count the slips together. Then, and only then, sort them into two piles: "let's try" and "maybe later." Test one "let's try" idea with a real toy and a cup of water, with an adult.

Talk about it while you color

• If ideas really rained from the sky, which one falling here would you want to catch first?
• How many ideas can we brainstorm right now about what to do this weekend?
• Why do you think the Squad brought umbrellas instead of running inside?